After the Rains by Deborah Raney

Long ago, Natalies mother faced an agonizing choice between the two people she loved most, and the difficult resolution to her predicament affects Natalie throughout her young lifefueling a season of teenage rebellion that results in the death of her best friend. As a young woman, Natalie attempts to put her troubles behind her, ultimately finding solace in the arms of a man with close ties to the tragedy. Yet neither time nor love can liberate her from the past. Determined to confront her terrible guilt, Natalie embarks on a journey that will take her thousands of miles from home and straight into the life and heart of a man unlike any she has ever known. Confronted with a decision that echoes the one her mother faced so many years before, Natalie finds herself drawn to two meneach of whom holds a claim to her heart. But the sins of her past must be confronted, and an escape from her guilt found, before her heart will be free to find its home. Showing that God can forgive the gravest of sins, After the Rains beautifully illustrates that his forgiveness comes purely through loving mercy and grace, not by our human efforts to earn it.This novel was originally published in 2002 under the same title.